Trace attachment



(NoMoael.)

W. F. TURMAN. TRACE ATTACHMENT.

N0. 415,928. jy-j- Patented No/v. 26', 1889.

Ja f' v i A r af q/ ATTORNEY UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.'

YILLIAM F. TURMAN, OF VEATIIERFORD, TEXAS.

TRAC E ATTACH M E'NT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,928, dated November 26, 1869.

Application led March 19, 1389. Serial No. 303,874. (No model.)

To all whom, z may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM F. TURMAN, of featherford7 in the county of Parker and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Trace Attachments, of which the following` is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to an improvement in couplings for tug-straps, and has for its object to provide a simple, economical, and dir rable device, capable of convenient manipulation, and whereby the tug-strap may be eX- peditiously attached to the cockeye of the whiflietree or detached therefrom.

The invention consists in the novel construction andA combination of the several parts, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,

Y in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a plan view of the device attached to a tug-strap. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section on line n: of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal or transverse section taken on line y y of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a bottoni plan view of the sliding cover-plate, and Fig. 5 is aplan View of the body of the device with the cover-plate removed therefrom.

III carrying out the invention the body of the device is secured in any approved manner to one end of the tug-strap 11. The body 10 consists of a suitable block of 'metal provided with a recess 12 in its upper face open at the forward end, as shown at 13 in Fig..5, the side and rear walls of which recess are preferably undercut. III the base-wall of the recess, near one side, two slot-s 14 and 15 are produced, and in the under face of the body a longitudinal groove 16 is formed, extending parallel with the edge from the outer end over a metal bridge 17, dividing the two slots 1l and l5. In the groove 1G alocking-plate 18 is located, which plate has vertical` Inove- Inent in the outer portion of the said groove and extends beyond the rear or outer end of the body, as shown in Fig4 3. This lockingplate 18 is provided upon the under side near the outer extremity witha pin 19, and upon the upper face of the plate two latch-heads 20 and 21 are longitudinally produced, the inner head 2O being the larger of the two. Both of the latch-heads are curved upon the inner face and are provided with a perpendicular outer face, as best shown at d.

Prior to the body 10 being secured upon the tug-strap 11 a slight groove is preferably Inade inthe contacting face of the strap to receive the outer portion of the locking-plate 1S, whereby the said locking-plate Inay have free vertical movement while the inner end of the same is held essentially stationary, as best illustrated in Fig. 3, and in the said groove or channel ofthe tug-strap receiving the locking -plate a recess 22 is formed, adapted to receive a spiral, coil, or other form of spring 23, through which spiral or coil spring the pin 19 of the locking-plate passes, whereby the outer end of the plate is nor- Inally held in contact with the under surface of the body and is prevented from being drawn outward therefrom.

Near the end of the body, and about centrally within the recess 12 thereof, an opening 24 is cut, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and an aligning and preferably a smaller opening 26 is formed in the tug-strap, whereby the ccckeye 27 of the whiiiletree 281 may be projected from the rear of the tug-strap into the recess of the body, as shown in Fig. 2.

A cap-plate 29 is held to slide in the recess of the body and cover ihe same, which capplate is provided with a lip 30, projected from the top thereof, as best shown in Fig. 4, adapted to slide over the end of the body 10 when the cap-plate is in a locked position. In the center of the cap-plate at the outer end an undercut recess 3l is formed, which recess is widest at the outer end, and at this point the Walls of the recess are preferably circular, as illustrated at- 32 in said Fig. 4. The inner portion of the recess is preferably rectangular, as illustrated at 33 in the sanne figure. The under side of the capplate between the rectangular portion of the recess 31 and the side is provided with a groove o r channel 34 parallel with the side, and a transverse channel is produced between the rear end of the groove or channel 34 and the outer end of the capplate to form a latch-head 35. When the cap-plate is slid to a locked position upon the body-plate 10, the latch-head 35 of the cap ICO plate engages with the smaller latch-head 21 of the locking-plate 18, and the inner latchhead 20 of the said locking-plate projects vupward Within the channel 34 of the cap-plate, as illustrated in Fig. 3.

In operation, When the parts are in the position illustrated in Fig. 3, the cockeye eX- tends inward until the head thereof is within the undercut recess 3l, as shown in Fig. 2, and the shank is held within the rectangular portion of the said undercut recess. To release the tug-strap from the cockeye the outer end of the locking-plate is depressed, which disengages the latch-head 2l from the latchhead 35 of the cover-plate. Said cover-plate may now be slid to the rear, the rearward movement being limited by the contact of the rear Wall of the channel wit-h the perpendicular face of the inner latch-head 2O of the locking-plate. Then the parts are in this position, the enlarged outer end of the undercut recess 3l is made to register with the opening 2l and the opening 26 in the tugstrap. Thus the openings from the Wall of the undercut recess in the cap-plate out- Ward are of sufficient size to permit of the device and strap being readily and expe'- ditiously detached from the cockeye.

In attaching the strap to the cockeye when the cover is in the open position just described, the cockeye is passed in through the openingin the tug-strap and registering-opening 24 in the body, and into the undercutrecess 3l of the cover-plate through the enlarged portion thereof. The spring 23 causes the outer end of the locking-plate to constantly engage with the under surface of the cover-plate. Thus as the cover-plate is closed the latch-head 35 thereof engages again With the latch-head 2l of the locking-plate and the head of the cockeye is brought within the under-cut of the recess 3l. rlhe shank eX- tends outward through the rectangular portion of the recess, thus rendering it impossible for the tug-strap to be detached until the cover-plate is again opened.

It will be observed that should the cockeye become at any time separated from the whiiiietree it will remain Within the coupand described I do not confine myself thereto, I

as other equivalent construction may be employed without departing'from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as newand desire to secure byLetters Patentl. In a trace attachment, the combination, with a body-plate having an undercut recess in its outer face open at one end, two spaced longitudinal slots formed in t-he base-Wall of the recess near one side, and an opening near the end Wall of the said recess, of a springactuated locking-plate extending outward from the body in contact With its under face and provided With latch-heads projected up'- Ward through the said longitudinal slots, a cover-plate held to slide upon the body, having a longitudinal groove to receive the inner latch-head of the locking-plate, and a latchhead at one end capable of contact with the outer latch-head of the locking-plate, and a central undercut. recess at one end, largest at. the mouth, all combined for operation substantially as shown and described.

2. In a trace attachment, the combination, with a body-plate having an undercut recess in its outer face, open at one end, two spaced longitudinal slots formed in the base-Wall of the recess near one side, and an opening near the end Wall of the said recess, of a springactuated locking-plate extending outward from the body in contact with its under face, provided with latch-heads having one inclined and one perpendicular face, said latchheads being capable of projecting through the said longitudinal slots in the body-plate, a cover-plate held to slide upon the bod-y, having a longitudinal groove to receive the inner latch-head of the locking-plate, and a latch-head at one end capable of contact With the outer latch-head of the locking-plate, a central undercut recess at one end, largest at the mouth,and a lip horizontally projectedt from the upper surface of the latch-head, adapted for engagement with and to slide over the upper surface of the end Wall of the body-plate, all combined for operation substantially as shown and described.

WILLIAM F. TURMAN. lVitnesses: l

W. K. BAYLOR,

W. STOUTSENBERGER.

ICO 

